


Tell No Tales

by Starlight1395



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, PTSD, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-20 17:24:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16560062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starlight1395/pseuds/Starlight1395
Summary: Jeongin didn't like the new staff member from the moment the boy laid eyes on the man. Something about Jim was just... off.Things go from uncomfortable to nightmarish, and Jeongin was left with a threat that would hang over his head for weeks.Does he let the man continue to do what he wants, and protect his friends? Or does he try to tell Chan and risk the others being hurt too?





	1. Chapter 1

Jeongin was panting when Chan finally called for a break. They had been working on new choreography for nearly three hours and the youngest felt like his legs were going to snap off. The nine boys gathered around, chugging water and shedding layers.

“So apparently we’re getting a new member on our staff today,” Chan said. “He’s going to be doing behind the scenes things to help everything run smoothly, so I want everyone to be polite and stay out of his way, okay?”

“Yes hyung.” echoed from around the room. No one was energetic enough to question it.

“I think we did good today,” Chan grinned at his friends, who were all flopped on the dirty practice floor as though they would never walk again. “I think we can be done for now.”

Everyone was suddenly filled with energy, cheering and quickly packing up their things. Chan just smiled at them and shook his head. They were brats, sure, but they were his brats.

Jeongin didn’t pretend to rush. He was actually as tired as he had been acting, so he took a little longer packing his things up. By the time he zipped his bag, the last member had already left the practice room. Of course they would be waiting for him in the lobby, but at the moment he was all alone.

“Ah, I’m sorry,” An unfamiliar voice said as the door opened again. It was someone Jeongin had never seen before, which was odd because he at least recognized everyone at the company. Chan’s announcement came back to him and it made sense. “I didn’t know anyone would still be here.”

“I was just leaving,” Jeongin bowed slightly and moved past the man. “You’re the new staff member, right?”

“Call me Jim, okay? I hope we can get along.” He held his hand out, which Jeongin took easily. Jim’s grip was just a little too tight, but Jeongin wasn’t going to say anything.

“Me too,” He took his hand back and held it away from the man slightly. “I have to get going, but it was nice meeting you.”

“Good meeting you too Jeongin.” Jim said as he put down a bag Jeongin didn’t realize he had been holding and started digging through it.

Jeongin left the practice room, and it was only when he was halfway back to the dorms that he realized he never actually gave Jim his name.

* * *

  
“What’s wrong?” Chan asked, sounding concerned. His maknae seemed on edge.

“It’s stupid…” Jeongin trailed off, realizing that mayce bothering Chan over a weird feeling wasn’t a good idea.

“If it’s bothering you, it’s not stupid.” Chan took Jeongin’s hand and the boy instantly felt calmer. Chan had a special way of being able to calm any of the members down with a single touch. Changbin liked the small of his back rubbed. Jisung liked it when Chan plays with his hair. Seungmin calms down when his leader rubs the back of his neck. For Jeongin, it was having his hands held.

“I just… I met the new staff member on the way out of practice,” Jeongin started, feeling ridiculous. “I… ugh, it sounds so stupid saying it out loud.”

“You can tell me anything.”

“I just got a weird vibe from him hyung,” Jeongin looked to the side, feeling stupid for bringing it up. “When he shook my hand he held it really tightly and- and I don’t know. Something about him doesn’t sit right with me.”

“Hmm if you want, I can stay by you anytime he’s in the practice room?” Chan offered, wanting his maknae to be a comfortable as possible.

“Would you do that?” Jeongin hadn’t actually expected Chan to believe him. Normally, his hunches were brushed off as paranoia.

“I won’t be able to be there all the time, but I can do by best, okay?”

“Alright hyung, thank you.” Jeongin wrapped his arms around Chan’s neck and hugged him tight.

“Anything for you Jeonginnie.”

* * *

  
“Guys, I want you to officially meet Jim,” their manager called them over. It was their last practice in the JYP building before a big show that weekend and everyone was excited. “He’s going to be working the concert this weekend, and the concerts in the future, so you’ll be seeing a lot of him.”

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet everyone,” Jim said, stepping forward. Jeongin noticed how the man’s eyes seemed to hone in on him and squirmed. He felt Chan’s comforting warmth at his side and relaxed into his leader. “I’m in charge of the little details backstage, so I might not be the most help if you need something, but always feel free to ask.” Jim smiled warmly and the boys gathered around him laughed a little.

“Now, get back to the dorm and shower. You have an interview at five and you still have to go through hair and makeup.” Their manager dismissed them. Jeongin rushed to pack his things and was the first by the door. He could feel eyes on him, but he was too focused on willing Chan and the others to move faster.

As if he could sense it, Chan finished second and went to wait by the door with the youngest. Chan’s free hand found Jeongin’s, and the boy relaxed.

The ride home was filled with chatter, mostly deciding if they could have the luxury of showering alone or if they should double up to save time. In the end, Chan was given the option to shower by himself due to their numbers and his position as leader. He graciously accepted, jokingly bowing and waving like a newly crowned king.

“It sucks that we have to go last, but at least there’ll be some hot water left seeing how everyone is taking a shower together.” Minho came over to Jeongin, who just nodded. He wanted to talk to Chan, but the older boy was already in the bathroom trying to wash up as quickly as possible.

“This interview is going to be exhausting.” The maknae chuckled, already dreading how tired he was going to be. That, and the knowledge that Jim was going to be there too put him on edge and he didn’t even know why.

“At least tomorrow is an off day,” Minho sighed as he peeled an orange. He offered half to Jeongin, who thanked him and started nibbling on the fruit. “This weekend is going to be killer, but I heard they got special pyrotechnics which are going to be awesome.”

“I’m excited to see the fancams,” Jeongin laughed. “You never realize how silly you look onstage until you see it from ten angles.”

“Ah, you look cool when you’re performing,” Minho disagreed instantly. “Don’t think you look silly, silly.”

“Thanks hyung,” Jeongin smirked and finished his orange, the unsettled feeling in his chest forgotten.

* * *

  
“Here, want me to help with that?” Jim jogged over to Jeongin, where the boy was struggling to get his mic pack into his belt.

“Ah,” Jeongin hesitated, but knew he had to be onstage soon. “Thank you. I don’t know why it’s not working.”

“Looks like the clip isn’t opening right, I got it.” Jim took the pack with a smile and Jeongin thought to himself that maybe he had been wrong about the man. Jim went behind the idol and clipped the pack securely on his belt. Just as Jeongin was about to pull away and thank him again, he felt a hand slip down his ass and in between his legs before disappearing. Jeongin felt his face pale.

“Break a leg out there Jeongin,” the man said with the same smile as before, as if nothing happened. “I know you’re going to do great.”

Jeongin didn’t say anything, he just nodded his head and rushed away to where the others were waiting for the stage to clear. He went directly to Chan, who instantly wrapped an arm around the younger boy.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Chan asked, sensing something was off with his friend.

“Hyung-” Just as he opened his mouth, they all heard their cue through their in-ears and Chan had to remove his arm.

“After the show, okay?” He promised Jeongin, who nodded as they ran onto the stage.

Thankfully performing was enough to take his mind off what had happened. The burning of Jim’s fingers between his legs was replaced by the burn of dance and the exhilaration of being on stage again.

By the time their set ended, Jeongin was grinning and breathing heavily. He was happiest when he was pouring his heart out on stage, and he wished he could perform more and practice less, but he knew that wasn’t how it worked.

“Good job everyone!” Chan cheered, causing everyone - idols and staff alike - to cheer back. “Let’s rest up so we can do an even better performance tomorrow!”

Everyone cheered again as they made their way to the shuttled. Jeongin lagged behind to thank one of the staff members and had to jog to catch up. In the split second he was behind, he made eye contact with Jim, who winked and smiled that same calm smile from before. Jeongin felt his blood run cold.

* * *

  
Chan kept true to his word. Whenever Jim came into the practice room, he made one excuse or another to be close to the maknae. He watched the man closely, and noticed how his eyes seemed to follow Jeongin some, but he never did anything to worry Chan too much. Chan could tell being next to the younger boy was comforting, and he felt bad when he wasn’t able to offer support to his friend.

He was called out of the room to talk to the manager, along with Jisung and Changbin - something about an idea for the next album. The others meandered around, talking and joking. Minho pulled out some candy from his bag and pretended it was contraband, handing it out in an overly sneaky way that was obvious what he was doing. Jeongin fought back a snicker as he watched Minho give Woojin an over the top wink as he handed the eldest a lollipop.

Jeongin lifted his water bottle to his lips only to realize there was half a mouth full left. Figuring the others wouldn’t be back for a little while longer, the maknae stood and stretched, empty bottle in hand. He called over his shoulder, letting the remaining members know he was going to fill the bottle at the fountain down the hall before slipping from the practice room. He hummed their new song under his breath as he made his way around the corner.

“Fancy running into you here.” An unfortunately familiar voice said. Jeongin’s body froze. Though he hadn’t been alone with Jim since the concert, Jeongin would have had to have been blind to miss the looks the man gave him through the mirrors.

“Just filling up my water bottle.” Jeongin said quickly, trying to step around the man.

“Ah, you boys are always so hard working,” Jim said warmly, but the words gave the boy no comfort. “You should relax a little.”  
Jim’s hands came down on Jeongin’s shoulders, digging his thumbs into the muscles. The boy didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want Jim to touch him, but he could already tell that the man’s grip was too tight on him - he wouldn’t be able to break away without causing a huge scene. The hands moved downwards until the man’s fingers were brushing the small of Jeongin’s back.

“I need to get back.” Jeongin ground out, trying to keep his voice from shaking too much.

“Now, now. They can wait a little longer,” his hands continued to wander. “They work you too hard. You deserve to relax just as much as they do. Let Jim hyung take care of you, yeah? I’ll make you feel really good, Jeonginnie.”

“Jeongin?” Minho’s voice floated down the hallway and Jeongin thought he was going to cry.

“I’ll be there in a second hyung!’ he called back, hoping his voice didn’t betray how hard he was holding back tears.

“Ah, looks like we’re out of time,” Jim said in that same, warm tone. It make Jeongin’s skin crawl. “Hopefully next time we can have more time together, yeah?”

Jeongin didn’t respond, he just sprinted back to the practice room, his empty water bottle forgotten on the floor in the hallway.

* * *

  
“You okay in there?” Chan’s voice followed a knock on the door.

“Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute.” Jeongin waited to shower last so he could take as much time as he wanted. He had already scrubbed his body three times, and his skin was burning from what little hot water was left. The day had started like any other, but halfway through-

Jeongin felt like dying.

_I’ll take good care of you._

He washed his body again.

_You don’t want your hyungs coming in and seeing you like this, do you?_

Why?

_You’re so pretty… so cute Jeonginnie._

Jeongin let out a sob. Why had the others left him alone with-

“Is everything okay?” Chan’s voice came again.

“Y-yeah.” his voice cracked.

“I’ll be in the living room when you’re done. Come find me.” Chan said. Jeongin was hit with intense love for his hyung. Chan knew when to push, and when to back off. When to give them a choice, and when to take charge. Chan, in Jeongin’s eyes, really was the best leader in the industry.  
Jeongin rinsed off and quickly dried off, wrinkling his nose at how the towel scraped his sensitive skin. He pulled on the large sweater that had been Minho’s - or maybe Changbin’s? - before he stole it and tugged his worn sweatpants up over bruised hips before leaving the bathroom.

Chan, true to his word, was waiting in the living room. He was sitting on the couch, scowling at some game on his phone. When he heard footsteps, he put his phone down and smiled at the maknae.

“Come here,” He moved so there was a spot for Jeongin to curl up in. “Tell hyung what’s wrong.”

Jeongin couldn’t bring himself to say what had happened. He was still in shock, in denial that it was reality. He felt silent tears run down his still pink cheeks, and before he could stop it the flood gates opened. He sobbed into Chan’s chest, unable to say anything. Chan wrapped his arms tightly around his maknae, scared.

What had made the boy so upset that he would sob like this? Jeongin was a normally calm kid - Chan could probably count the times he’s seen the younger boy actually sob on one hand. It didn’t make sense.

Jeongin cried until he went limp in Chan’s arms.

_Wasn’t the first time he had gone limp that day-_

He whimpered. Even though he was about to pass out, the memory was still so fresh.

_You look so good around me like that, Jeonginnie._

He curled in tighter against Chan’s side in a futile attempt to protect himself. Chan felt the boy start to shake and realized just how helpless he was in this situation. His friend was trembling in is arms and there was nothing he could do to help him.

“It’ll be okay Jeonginnie,” Chan whispered, hoping to offer some comfort. “Hyung’s got you.”

_Don’t cry Jeonginnie. Hyung is here._

 

 

_If you tell anyone, I'll make you regret it. Don't make hyung the bad guy here, okay?_


	2. Chapter 2

“Mhm, you really are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” The man’s voice stirred no emotions in Jeongin. The boy was limp, staring at the ceiling. Jim’s fingers trailed up Jeongin’s bare torso, but there was no response. The man took Jeongin’s hands in his, grunted one last time and moved away from the idol, who let a single tear run down his face. “You should get back to the others… they’re going to be wondering where you got off too.”

Jeongin finally moved, standing and pulling his pants back up. He should have been thankful that the man never left a mess.

It had only been two weeks, an Jeongin’s spirit had been completely shattered.

The boy slipped from the office without a sound.

* * *

  
“We have a photoshoot today, so shower quickly and meet by the door. They’re going to do hair and makeup and wardrobe at the shoot site,” Their manager called out. “I know I don’t have to say this because you’re all good kids, but make sure you behave, okay?”

“Yes hyung!” A chorus of voices came from across the dorm. Chan and Felix were in the kitchen, talking about spring back home. Woojin, Minho, Jisung and Hyungjin were in the living room, binging a new drama. Seungmin and Changbin were both napping, desperately trying to catch up on sleep seeing how that day was going to be long and tough.

Jeongin was nowhere to be found. Not in the dorm at least. He was sitting on the roof of the dorm building - a place where trainees and idols alike went to clear their heads and be alone for once.

He stared over the city, watching the people far below slowly wake up and start their days. He wondered how many of them held secrets like he did. A breeze blew over him, but he barely felt the chill that went down his spine. His skin was on fire.

“I thought I’d find you up here.” Chan’s voice broke Jeongin from his thoughts.

“Oh, I didn’t realize I had been up here so long.” The younger boy’s voice was quiet. Chan moved to sit next to him, and Jeongin didn’t realize how frozen he was until the older boy’s body heat started to thaw him out.

“How… how long have you been awake?”

“I… I don’t know. I don’t think I went to sleep last night.” Jeongin was numb.

“You have to take care of yourself-”

“It doesn’t matter,” Jeongin cut Chan off. He signed and rested his chin on his knees. “Nothing really matters, does it? In the end, nothing we do makes a difference. We’re going to die and no one is going to remember who we are.”

“Jeongin…” Chan was speechless. He had never heard his friend say something so dark before. Their maknae had always been their mood maker, giving the older members pep talks and showing his contagious smile

“Whatever…” Jeongin stood, his joints cracking in protest of being in the same position for so long.

“Jeonginnie-” He reached out to take the maknae’s hand, only to be roughly slapped away.

“Don’t call me that!” Jeongin screamed, shoving Chan away. The older boy fell back, more in shock than anything else. The boy’s eyes were wild, like those of a caged animal.

“I’m sorry Jeongin,” Chan said carefully, keeping his voice soft. “Did something happen?” He reached out again and gently took Jeongin’s hand in his own. The younger boy’s fingers were frigid.

The second Chan’s fingers laced through Jeongin’s, the younger boy was no longer on the rooftop. He was on a desk, his back digging into the edge as his legs were forced wider apart. Thick fingers laced through his slender ones and the second the man had a hold on his hands, he emptied inside of him.

“DON’T TOUCH ME!” Jeongin screeched, ripping his hand away and sprinting away from Chan.

“Jeongin-” Chan’s cry was cut off by the slam of the door. He stared after his maknae, eyes wide and chest tight.

What happened?

“Ah, Jeongin-ah! We’re together again for shower duty-” Minho’s smile quickly fell when he saw the state of the younger boy. His cheeks were flushed from the sudden warmth of the dorm, and there were tears running quickly into his shirt.

“No!” Jeongin yelled, running to his room and slamming the door. He leans up against the door, his breathing coming faster and faster. His vision was wavering, and he felt as though he was going to pass out. He dug his nails into his arm, but all the pain did was bring back more memories that chipped away at what little will he had left.

“Open this door right now!” Chan banged on the door. “Jeongin, I need you to talk to me.”

“Go away!” Jeongin cried, slamming his fists against the wood.

“Not until you open up.”

“I can’t!”

“Jeongin, please.” Chan stopped yelling. His voice barely filtered through the door to the younger boy, who couldn’t stop his body from trembling.

“I can’t…”

“Please open the door.” Chan asked - no, begged.

Jeongin curled into a ball, sobbing into his knees. He faintly heard the lock click and the door open. It closed right after, the lock being put back into place as a body sat next to him. He forgot the knob to his room was broken - anyone could open it, even when locked, if they just jostled it to the left a little.

“I can’t.” Jeongin whimpered as Chan wrapped an arm around his body.

“You don’t have to say anything right now,” Chan said softly. “You can cry if you need to, and I won’t make you talk. Just promise me that you’ll come to me when you’re ready, okay?”

“I c-can’t hyung.”

“It’s okay.” Chan just held him as he cried. His hips hurt, and his throat hurt, and his chest hurt and he just wanted everything to stop.

* * *

  
“Oh? Are you trying to fight back?” Jim teased. For the first time in two and a half weeks - the first time since everything started - Jeongin bit the man’s lip when he tried to kiss the boy. Jim grinned and wiped away the bead of blood that formed where Jeongin had split his lip, his eyes turned up in amusement.

“I don’t-” Jeongin had trouble finding his voice. “I’m not letting you do this to me anymore.”

“Okay,” Jim smiled at Jeongin, who blinked up at the man. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

“What-”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure one of your members wouldn’t mind taking your place-”

“NO! Don’t you dare!” Jeongin growled, lunging at the man.

“You remember what I said, right?” Jim cupped Jeongin’s cheek and the boy couldn’t stop the stray tear that ran onto the man’s hand. “If you told anyone, everyone would find out what a good little whore you are for hyung. I’ll tell everyone in the world how soft you are… how pretty your asshole looks taking my cock.”

“You can’t-”

“I can do whatever I want, Jeonginnie,” Jim tilted his head innocently. “You’re mine. Imagine how disgusted your members would be if they found out what you let me to do you. You want me to tell them how well you swallow my cum? Or would you want to see their faces first hand when they find out how much of a slut their maknae is?”

“S-stop…” Jeongin was trembling.

“If you don’t want them to find out, come over here and suck hyung’s dick like a good little cockslut.”

* * *

  
Jeongin stared out at the city, watching the building slowly light up as the sun set. Soon, the light life would be in full swing, a dark version of the daytime. He sighed as he thought. He had a few options, and not a single one was good.

The first option was to let Jim continue what’s been going on. If Jeongin could survive it for a little longer, Jim would get bored, right? He’d get bored and move on… but Jeongin wouldn’t want anyone else to go through that.

The second option was to tell someone, despite the threat of the others finding out hanging over his head. He could try and tell someone, but there was a chance they would blame him - blame him and call him a slut and say he was asking for it - and he would be used AND alone, abandoned by his friends.

The third option…

Jeongin looked back out to the city. It would be so easy to solve his problems. All he had to do was deal with another few moments of pain, and he’d be blissfully free from everything. Forever. If he could handle what Jim did to him, he could handle the brief agony as he hit the cement, ten stories below him.

His members would be hurt, but at least they would still think of him in a positive light…

Jeongin sighed again and shook his head, running his fingers through messy bangs. Whatever option he chose, he needed to pick soon. He felt like he was in limbo, stuck without a goal or something to look up to. He was stuck.

He watched a flock of birds fly past, the head of the V falling back to fly next to a bird that was lagging in the back. Jeongin’s heart felt like it was bleeding.

Jeongin stood and stormed back to the dorm.

He finally made up his mind.

* * *

  
“Read this alone?” Chan read the note on the folded paper that Jeogin had slipped into his bag before they left to go to the practice room.

The maknae had completely ignored Chan, as if he didn’t even see the older boy as he brushed past on the way to the shuttle. Chan’s gut told him this letter had something to do with the way Jeongin had been acting recently, but he didn’t know when he was going to have time to himself anytime soon. They had practice until three, then vocal training and dinner together - something Chan himself made a rule in the dorm.

Thankfully, a break came sooner than expected. Turned out, the practice room floor was being re-waxed that afternoon and they forgot to tell Chan, so the boys had two hours to kill before vocal training.

“I’m going to try and tweak a new song while I have the chance. I’ll meet you guys at the recording studios in two hours.” He waved quickly, noticing how Jeongin’s back was pointedly facing away from him.

Time seemed to slow as he walked towards the studio. Every step seemed to take an eternity, and the papers in his bag weighed him down more and more. He closed the door quietly and clicked the lock into place before digging the papers out of his bag and sat heavily on the little couch in the corner. He unfolded the paper and saw it was actually two pages of notebook paper that had been ripped out.

“Hyung,” he started reading the letter under his breath. “I know I’m taking a risk by telling you anything, but I need you to believe me… what the f-?” He swallowed heavily but kept reading. “I know you might hate me after this, and I wouldn’t blame you, but I can’t live like this anymore. For the past three weeks, Jim has been-”

Chan’s eyes widened in horror. The words on the paper blurred as tears stung his eyes. He tried to keep reading, but he ended up scrambling for his trashcan and emptying his stomach into it. Once there was nothing more to heave up, he sipped shakily at his water bottle and continued.

“He threatened to expose me, make everyone hate me, but I couldn’t take it anymore I felt… Oh Jeonginnie…” Chan trailed off, feeling like a failure. His maknae was hurting and he had done nothing to stop it. He could have done so much more but instead he let Jeongin be raped over and over by someone he told the others to respect.

The last line had been crossed out and rewritten.

“Don’t let him know you know,” Chan breathed, his eyes flitting from word to word. “I thought if we could stop him before he caught on, we might win.”  
Chan stood, crunching the papers in his fist.

He was going to protect his maknae, no matter what.

He threw the door to his studio open and made a beeline for JYP’s office. He had only been there a few times, and each time by appointment only, but this was important. Chan knocked, waiting for a response.

“Come in,” A voice called from inside. Chan took a calming breath before entering. “Chan? Is something wrong?”

“Read this.” Chan said, handing the crumpled papers to his boss. The shorter man took it with a questioning look, but before he even finished the second sentence, his eyes hardened.

“This is a pretty serious accusation,” He said calmly after he finished the letter. “Are you sure this is the truth?”

“Jeongin would never lie, especially not about something like this.” Chan was absolutely certain.

“Alright then,” he sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Bring Jeongin to me and we can talk about the next course of action.”

“Yes sir.” Chan bowed and rushed from the office, determined to bring an end to this.

* * *

  
“It’s convenient that you have a two hour break, huh?” Jim asked with that damned smile. Jeongin didn’t say anything. He prayed Chan would believe him, but the chances were slim. Who would believe that Jim, the new staff member that everyone adored, was forcing Jeongin to have sex with him? It sounded ridiculous, even to Jeongin. “What? None of that fire left in you? Pity, it would have made this more fun for both of us.”

Jim hummed a light tune as he forced Jeongin’s pants down. Jeongin didn’t try to fight it. He was all out of fight. He tried to imagine himself somewhere else - maybe on the beach, with his friends. There weren’t fingers inside of him and he was with his friends. There wasn’t a mouth on his and his friends were laughing. There wasn’t something pushing inside of him and he was with his friends on the beach and they were laughing and having a good time.

Jim laced his fingers through Jeongin’s as he came, and the boy held back his lunch. Something that used to bring him comfort now made him ill.

“Ah, always so good for hyung,” Jim sighed as he pulled himself from Jeongin, who shuddered at the feeling. “Clean yourself up and get back before anyone asks any questions, okay?”

Jeongin didn’t say anything. He just got dressed and slipped from the room, trying to stay upright despite how badly his legs were shaking.

* * *

  
“What do you mean he went with Jim?” Chan’s blood ran cold. Minho was sitting on the floor, snacking on some chips he got from the vending machine.

“Yeah,” Minho said easily, no idea what that meant. “They left right after you did. Don’t know what they’re doing that’s taking so long but-”

Just then, Jeongin stumbled into the practice room. His face was pale and it was obvious he was leaning on the wall to stay upright. Chan instantly rushed to his side, letting the younger boy use him as a crutch. He lead the maknae over to one of the chairs in the corner of the room. When they were out of earshot of the others, he leaned into Jeongin.

“I read your letter,” he said softly. He could feel Jeongin tense in his arms. “I believe you. I went to JYP, and he wants to talk to you. He said we’re going to keep it quiet until we can do something about Jim. You don’t have to worry. He isn’t going to hurt you ever again.”

Jeongin’s legs finally gave out. Chan just barely caught him before he hit the ground, but he didn’t care.

Chan believed him.

Not only did Chan believe him, but so did JYP.

Not only did they both believe him, but they were going to help him.

Jeongin sobbed into Chan’s shirt, but for the first time he was smiling as he did it.

* * *

  
Jeongin was sweating. He knew Chan was on his way, but he was so scared. Jim was getting closer, closer, and the boy had no idea how far his saviors were.

Jim’s fingers painted lines of fire on his skin, and Jeongin’s breathing started to come faster and faster. He felt his shirt being lifted off and a terrible thought went through his mind, making his whole body freeze in fear.

What if Chan wasn’t coming? What if he didn’t actually believe him? What if he was going to be used over and over and never escape-

The door flew open.

“Put your hands up,” A deep voice said. “You’re under arrest.”

Three police officers came rushing into the office, two moving to handcuff Jim, who seemed too shocked to fight back while the third went over to Jeongin.

The boy looked up at her, and she looked like she was going to cry. She pulled out a silver space blanket and wrapped it around Jeongin’s bare chest.

“It’s over now,” She said softly, walking him from the room that haunted his nightmares. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”

“Jeongin!” Chan ran up, looking pale. “Please tell me we weren’t too late.”

“They came right in time,” Jeongin offered his hyung a tired smile. “He didn’t get the chance to do anything this time.”

“Thank god…” Chan pulled the boy into a hug, holding him as if he could shield him from the terrors of the world. “I’m so proud of you for telling me. In your letter… you sounded so scared, but you still told someone. He was threatening you and everything… you’re so strong… my Jeongin is so brave.”

“Th-thank you hyung,” Jeongin burried his face in Chan’s chest, not crying but just soaking in the warmth of his friend. “Please… don’t tell the others. I don’t want them to think I’m some sort of s-slut.”

“First of all, they would never, ever, think that about you,” Chan said, pulling Jeongin away enough to look the boy in the eyes. “They love you way too much to ever think badly of you, no matter what happened. Secondly… they already know. While you were talking with JYP, I had to ask them questions about your behavior for the police report…”

“They know…” Jeongin felt his stomach drop.

“And they still love you,” Chan continued, rubbing the boy’s back softly. “And they’ll never, ever stop loving you. Jeongin, this wasn’t something you asked for. Why should they hate you for something you didn’t even want?”

“I don’t know… I hate me enough for everyone.” He sounded so sad it broke Chan’s heart. He handed Jeongin his hoodie, which the boy slipped over his head, instantly hiding within the fabric.

“There’s too much about you to love,” he placed a kiss on Jeongin’s forehead. “It’s impossible to hate you at all.”

Chan didn’t hold Jeongin’s hand as they went back to the dorms, but he stayed close enough that the younger boy felt safe. As soon as they entered the dorms, the youngest was bombarded with shouts.

“Are you okay?”

“Do you need anything?”

“I’m going to slaughter that freak.”

“I’m okay, I guess…” Jeongin trailed off, unable to meet anyone’s eyes. “He was arrested, and they’re working on a restraining order against him…”

“Jeongin…” Minho surged forward and buried his face in the younger boy’s shoulder. Jeongin realized the older dancer was sobbing when he felt wetness soaking into Chan’s hoodie.

“Hyung, what’s wrong?”

“You’re so brave,” He whispered, more tears running down his face. “I wish…”

“Minho?” Chan asked, sounding worried.

“I wish I could have been as brave.” He finished, sounding defeated. The room dropped several degrees.

“Wh-what do you mean?” Jeongin asked, his heart skipping a beat. Minho let out a single huff of air - a humorless laugh.

“It’s okay now,” he whispered, looking at the ground. “He was killed six months ago, by the father of another boy he-”

“When did this happen?” Chan’s voice was steady, but everyone could tell it was a forced calm.

“When I was a backup dancer with the Wings tour,” he said, almost too easily. “He was… he worked with lighting. He said he would ruin my career before it ever started if I said anyhting, so I never did. Jeongin… you’re amazing for speaking up like you did…”

“Hyung…” Jeongin tightened his arms around the other boy, their hurt so similar it was terrifying to think about.

“Let’s go into the living room,” Chan offered, sounding tired. “We have a lot to talk about.”

* * *

  
“Is this okay?” Chan whispered, his fingers almost touching Jeongin’s.

“Yeah…” The boy whispered back, letting Chan take his hand. Though almost half a year had passed since Jim was arrested, the youngest was still on edge. Chan knew he still suffered from nightmares, and thanks to him and JYP they managed to get Jeongin in to see a therapist about his PTSD.

Chan was so proud of Jeongin. After Jim was arrested, Jeongin refused to let anyone touch him. Any kind of skinship would result in the boy having a panic attack or running away or both. If he was called ‘Jeonginnie’ he would have flashbacks to when he was being used by that man.

Now, he was starting to open up again. He would sit on the couch, his thigh just barely touching the person next to him rather than sitting on the other side of the room. He’ll let Chan hold his hand, but only if the older boy asked first, and even then he got overwhelemed after a few minutes. He still wasn’t able to shower with his members like before, but Chan was willing to share with someone so the maknae could bathe in peace.

“How are you feeling Jeongin?” Chan asked, rubbing the back of Jeongin’s hand with his thumb.

“Weird,” He answered honestly. “It kinda feels like a dream… like I’m either going to wake up and he’s still going to be here or- or I’m going to wake up and all of it will be a dream, and I don’t know which is worse.”

“No one is going to hurt you,” Chan promised, holding his friend’s hand a little tighter. “I swear on my life Jeongin. No one is ever going to hurt you like that again.”

“Thank you hyung, for not getting frustrated with me,” Jeongin sounded so small. “I know I’m frustrating like this… I should be better, but I’m not. He was only around for three weeks, and it’s been almost six months and I’m still acting like-”

“Like you had to experience something traumitizing against your will and you’re still recovering from that,” Chan cut the boy off, refusing to let Jeongin say bad things about himself. “What you went through… no one would be able to turn around and be perfectly okay after that. It takes time to heal, and you’ve been doing such an amazing job. I’m so proud of you. Look at how far you’ve come!”

“I guess…”

“And you’re allowed to take as much time as you need, understand? No more of this ‘I should be better already’ stuff.” Chan started to pull his hand from the other boy’s, knowing around that time was when Jeongin started getting uncomfortable. Instead, Jeongin reached forward, reconnecting their hands.

“Please don’t leave!” He gasped, eyes wide.

“Never, ever,” Chan said, squeezing the boy’s hand again. “I’ll never, ever leave you.”

“Thank you.” He said, leaning into Chan’s side and resting his head on his hyung’s shoulder. They looked out over the city together, the bright lights in the distance reminding them of the brightness in their own futures.

Things weren’t perfect. One might even hesitate to say that thing were okay, but they were getting there.

Jeongin was getting there, and he had his family backing him up the entire way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said in the last note, I've seen so many stories with this sort of plot where the person is threatened and they stay with their abusers because they're afraid of the consequences. I think it's important to show the option in that situation where they go against the threat and seek help.  
> I wanted to show another option that most fics don't really explore, and I really hope I was able to get that across in my writing. I'm always worried when I try to make a point, that I write around the point itself, if that makes sense?  
> Anyway, thanks everyone for reading! I hope to be getting more stories written soon so please chest those out too~! I also take suggestions, if anyone has a fic they want written!

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is kinda twisted, but it'll make sense by the end. I've seen a lot of fics with the same sort of plot, and part of me gets irritated that it plays out the same way. I'm hoping to leave this fic with a bit of a moral in the end.


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